VAPOUR trails have once again replaced birdsong as the Heathrow ghost town groans back into action.
All eyes are now firmly on the balance sheets as front line staff and bosses alike begin to fear the financial implications of the unprecedented six-day closure.
Airlines have called on politicians to relax the compensation regulations in a bid to ease losses.
The hundreds of stranded cabin crew left scattered across the globe by the Icelandic ash storm are trickling home as a mass repatriation mission gets underway.
Nick Cullen, chief operating officer at Heathrow Airport, told the public this week: "Across Heathrow, we share the disappointment felt by passengers and have worked hard in recent days to ensure that when airlines are ready to get people moving, we will be ready.
"We appreciate the patience shown by the travelling public through these unprecedented times and look forward to welcoming them back to Heathrow."
After a week of eerie calm, ground staff at the airport are preparing for a flurry of activity as BAA requests permission to keep both runways open around the clock until the situation settles.
Airport Operators Association (AOA) chairman Ed Anderson said: "We welcome the CAA’s actions to reopen UK airspace. Our priority now is to make sure that our passengers get on their way safely and with as little additional disruption as possible. Staff at airports will now be working around the clock to help restore the situation to normal as soon as possible."
Estimates for the financial impact of closing European airspace for almost a week are still soaring, with longterm losses set to dwarf those caused by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which still cripple the industry.
The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR UK), representing more than 90 key airlines, has called on the UK government to demand that the European Commission suspends 'draconian' regulations.
Mike Carrivick, chief executive of BAR, said: "The eagerness of the EU and the UK government to publicly state that airlines have a responsibility to accommodate and feed passengers booked on flights cancelled by the volcanic disruptions, is a misuse of the regulation.
"The regulation was never intended to apply to wholesale shutdown of the airways system imposed by governmental rulings and without any limitation of time. This Regulation, when used in this way, is draconian, disproportionate and often impractical."
Meanwhile some workers are preparing legal action against their companies after being forced to take unpaid leave during the closure.
Unions have waded in to demand that the already struggling industry is bailed out before the workforce begins to feel the squeeze.
BALPA General Secretary Jim McAuslan said: "The financial fall out from this could not be more serious.
"This issue is in danger of getting out of hand."
McAuslan added: "It is not an exaggeration to say that a Dunkirk spirit is needed.
"British pilots, many of whom have themselves been stranded away from home, will do everything they can to bring the situation back to normal as quickly as possible whilst maintaining the highest standards of flight safety.
"Doing this effectively will need a joined up approach across airlines."
